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PREMIUM BONDS JULY/AUG 2026

969 replies

Blondeshavemorefun · 30/06/2026 21:48

PB have been about since 1957 so 80yrs next year

Each bond is £1. You have to buy in minimum of £25 so means 25 chances to win every purchase - years ago you could buy £1 at a time.

From July’s draw the expected prize rate will go from 3.3 per cent to 3.8 per cent while the odds of any £1 bond winning will shorten from 23,000 to one to 22,000 to one.

In August 2023, we had the highest 4.65%

The total prize pot will go from just under £376.2 million to £436.8 million — up £60.6 million.

So providing you have more than £100 you have better odds winning something from pb than winning the lottery 😄

And obviously far better than the lottery - you don’t lose your stake !!!!!!

https://www.saga.co.uk/money-news/premium-bonds

Bonds have to be in for a clear month before going into the draw

If you want to cash bonds in then usually takes 3 days to go into your account

Winnings can be reinvested if holdings are under £50k

This means they will go into the next months draw without losing a month

Or sent to named bank account if winnings take over FH /want winnings in bank account
More info here

www.moneyhelper.org.uk/en/savings/types-of-savings/premium-bonds

The best time to buy premium bonds is on the last day of the month, as this means they are only held by NSI for one month and one day, without being entered into the prize draw.

PB to me is the fun and thrill each month of what if I win big and a millionaire - to then hoping win thousands to a day or two later being grateful if win £25😂

I have nowhere near the maximum and probably never will unless I win £50k + on pb

But only takes one £1 to win that million !!! Or in fact any prize

I love seeing the low holdings win high amounts

We've seen over the years £100 holding win a million (March 25) also a £100 holding win £100k and £50 win £25k and even £1 won £10k

Maximum is £50k per person so some do have all for family- mum dad and 2 kids so £200k etx

Those on the thread are varying from few hundred /few thousand - to 20/30k to full holdings of £50k

Everyone is welcome to join in whether small or full holdings

Obviously some people have better 'luck' than others and some worse - Ie full holdings and not winning anything a month or two or even longer

PB odds calculator below

https://pbprizes.com/calculator/

shows the interest rate of the winnings - obv anything over 3.80 % is good as if in an account you wouid be taxed so be more like 3%

The consistent winners are the 1.16 million people who have the maximum £50,000.

They hold almost half of all premium bonds and, at current odds of 1/22000 can expect a monthly stream of tax-free prizes:
two a month and three almost every other month, 28 or 29 a year totaling £1900 (3.8%) interest on £50k

So the median average will always be lower than the mean average.

This means that, with average luck, most people will win less than the prize rate each year, regardless of how many bonds they hold

To work out your own personal % rate
Winnings divided by amount have x 100

But many on here do have £50k and then consider moving it to an account that pays 4% if their bonds aren't doing very well as would then def get extra money
But remember savings /interest get taxed
PB and their winnings don't

So anything over 3% in winnings is considered good and 3.8% excellent

People dither whether to pull out from pb and put in high interest account if not winning anything so that they will def earn x amount of interest

But then lose the what if won a million or £100k

If you have PB but not sure if you have ever won esp if moved about a lot

you can write to NS&I

Include these details in the letter:
Current name
Current address
Premium Bond holder number& date of birth

All previous addresses where you might have registered bonds

Your signature

You can send your letter to:

NS&I
Sunderland
SR43 2SB.

There are 2 apps afaik
Cream - prize checker and if won previous month will show a pic - which we all get excited over 😂😂😂

Blue - the app its self works but the showing early often doesn't work for me but those who reinvest their winnings say it shows if won the day before app shows 🙀🙀🙀

Seems the higher the winnings the earlier it shows and can be from 6pm the night before the app shows

And to confuse things I have a White app that is a bookmark - which shows info/list 😄😄😄

Now this has been debated on MANY times but seems to be correct

When do we find out if going to get a visit from AM 😂

The two winners of the £1million prizes will be contacted by Agent Million (AM) 😂😂 the day before the first working day of the corresponding month.

There may however be exceptions to this, such as when the first working day of the month is a bank holiday, for example.

So
AM - Day before first working day - Millionaire knock /call

LIST - First day of working month showing all winners million to £1k winners - which I always put up for those who can't find it

APP - Day after first working day , including weekends - cream app showing all winnings

You can also check to see if have won via this link with your holders number

www.nsandi.com/prize-checker

Hopefully I've covered everything
Good luck one and all 😄

Prize Checker

Ready to see if you have won a prize? Enter your holder's number to check if you’ve won in this month’s Premium Bonds draw. Good luck!

https://www.nsandi.com/prize-checker

OP posts:
Thread gallery
9
FiloPasty · 28/08/2026 09:51

& what did you do with the money!!

Bondedforlife · 28/08/2026 09:55

FiloPasty · 28/08/2026 09:51

@Bondedforlife welcome, welcome!
I feel like this is a lucky sign for all of us now we’ve got an actual top prize winner in our midst! You are going to get all the questions!

Were you home then when Agent Million knocked? You need to give us as much information as a birth story!

I was at home making lunch. But we had been away on holiday and apparently she had been trying for 2 or 3 days!!
Very few people know about it in my real life and so I don’t often talk about it, but it is the best and craziest thing that has ever happened to me!

LasVegass · 28/08/2026 09:55

Oh, wow @Bondedforlife it must have changed your life! I used to have daily daydreams with DH about what we’d do with that kind of money when we were young. Nowadays we barely mention it. We have more in PBs and we’d settle for much less, but the big surprise never comes.

Bondedforlife · 28/08/2026 09:59

FiloPasty · 28/08/2026 09:51

& what did you do with the money!!

Paid off our mortgage, then after a few years moved house. Most of it is invested and a good chunk in trust for our kids when they grow up. I was only in my early thirties so couldn’t retire on it, but it allowed me to work part time and we have nice holidays and will hopefully retire early and the kids will have a good start to their adult lives. It sounds not very exciting, and I am such a frugal person really, but I just couldn’t blow it all. I honestly had no idea what to do because no one prepares you for this!

VirtuousVestalVirgin · 28/08/2026 10:13

Amazing @Bondedforlife .

I would do something similar I think, mortgage paid off, more nice holidays, invest half of it for my kids - gifted in their name now to avoid it being swallowed up by care fees if that becomes part of my future, also work part time until I retire. Tell no one.

westisbest1982 · 28/08/2026 10:28

Who did you tell @Bondedforlife ?

bootsroots · 28/08/2026 11:04

So fascinating @Bondedforlife! Did they give you advice on how to manage the money?

Bondedforlife · 28/08/2026 11:14

westisbest1982 · 28/08/2026 10:28

Who did you tell @Bondedforlife ?

We told our immediate family, so parents and siblings and my Grandad who had bought me the Premium Bonds was still alive and we told him. I called my Mum first and I was practically hyperventilating in the phone and she thought something terrible had happened!

I have a very close group of friends and after a couple of months I told them because it just felt so strange going through something so huge and acting like nothing was happening. I have never told anyone else. My husband on the other hand seems to tell people quite often which is a source of contention between us. I have good friends at work who I have worked with for the entire time and have no idea.

Bondedforlife · 28/08/2026 11:15

bootsroots · 28/08/2026 11:04

So fascinating @Bondedforlife! Did they give you advice on how to manage the money?

Yes there were financial advisors that you could meet with.

Darker · 28/08/2026 11:58

Gosh how amazing. Now I’m fantasising….

FiveShelties · 28/08/2026 12:09

How wonderful @Bondedforlife it must take ages for it to sink in😂 but must be lovely to have the security for you and your family. It is lovely to read of a big winner😁

westisbest1982 · 28/08/2026 12:15

I think today was the first time anyone here has posted about their experience about winning the big one. Thanks for sharing those very interesting comments @Bondedforlife 🌺

Stars26 · 28/08/2026 13:07

Bondedforlife · 28/08/2026 09:59

Paid off our mortgage, then after a few years moved house. Most of it is invested and a good chunk in trust for our kids when they grow up. I was only in my early thirties so couldn’t retire on it, but it allowed me to work part time and we have nice holidays and will hopefully retire early and the kids will have a good start to their adult lives. It sounds not very exciting, and I am such a frugal person really, but I just couldn’t blow it all. I honestly had no idea what to do because no one prepares you for this!

We were talking about this recently and if we stayed in the same home mortgage is nearly done could we retire…. we are 47. Outgoings minimum with couple of holidays a year. We could def have a few years out but i’d want to keep it quiet as possible.

SucksToBeYou · 28/08/2026 13:07

What did you do on the day the money hit your account @Bondedforlife? Did you celebrate in any way? It must have been a very strange feeling.

TofuTuesday · 28/08/2026 13:11

That’s so exciting @Bondedforlife I love how normal all your spends were. Just a lovely gentle uplift to your life.

AustenitesUnite · 28/08/2026 13:15

Absolutely wonderful to hear your story @Bondedforlife, particularly the way you handled the situation and the sensible financial decisions you made

I worked with a girl whose family won a considerable amount on the football pools many years ago. The family went on a joint holiday then provided all 3 adult children with the deposit for a house. The rest, I believe, was invested. My ex-colleague lives nearby and has a very happy family life and was very grateful for the gift of a deposit as it helped her get on the property ladder far quicker than she would have been able to.

I also knew another family who won a lot of money on the football pools and it completely destroyed their lives as they adopted a lavish lifestyle which their family and friends were uncomfortable with and became quite isolated as a result. Very sad

Muchtoomuchtodo · 28/08/2026 13:19

Thanks for sharing @Bondedforlife and keeping the dream alive!

I think we’d do similar to be honest, not go mad but upgrade the holidays, make sure the kids are sorted a drop a few hours at work.

Bondedforlife · 28/08/2026 13:58

SucksToBeYou · 28/08/2026 13:07

What did you do on the day the money hit your account @Bondedforlife? Did you celebrate in any way? It must have been a very strange feeling.

Well I had to go to town to open a special bank account for the money to be paid into. There is a particular bank that they use for winners and a private banking manager came from London to my local branch to open the account. I never talk about this, so it is really surreal thinking back to it all again.
After I had opened the account I went and bought a dress for £65 which was the most I had ever spent on a dress. I don’t think I ever really wore it, I think I just wanted to feel like I could go and spend that money! This all probably sounds quite sad reading it back 😂

AustenitesUnite · 28/08/2026 14:00

Bondedforlife · 28/08/2026 13:58

Well I had to go to town to open a special bank account for the money to be paid into. There is a particular bank that they use for winners and a private banking manager came from London to my local branch to open the account. I never talk about this, so it is really surreal thinking back to it all again.
After I had opened the account I went and bought a dress for £65 which was the most I had ever spent on a dress. I don’t think I ever really wore it, I think I just wanted to feel like I could go and spend that money! This all probably sounds quite sad reading it back 😂

I don't think that's sad at all ~ I think it's perfectly understandable! You must have been in shock for quite a while after

Blondeshavemorefun · 28/08/2026 14:23

We bow down to you @Bondedforlife

and 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

winner of all the threads I’ve done here on mn about pb for the last maybe 8yrs - possibly longer

amazing on £1800 compared to if had £50k or similar

last what March I think there was a million won by someone who had £100 worth of bonds

a million 10yrs + ago was worth more then now iyswim and get more for your money

paying off mortgage is def the first thing to do as that’s the huge monthly out going and means have a forever roof over your head

OP posts:
RoseBliss · 28/08/2026 14:35

How amazing to have a real life £1m winner on here @Bondedforlife ! Something we all dream about....

So there was no phone call before AM came knocking? Or did you miss the call because you were away?

You've been very sensible with the money. It would have been so easy to have blown the lot! Now you can enjoy a comfortable retirement when the time comes.

Blondeshavemorefun · 28/08/2026 14:39

We know it can happen

Notable Low-Holding Jackpot Winners

  • The Lowest Ever: A saver from Newham, London, won the £1 million jackpot in July 2004 with just a £17 holding.
  • The £100 Winner: A winner from Cleveland scooped the £1 million jackpot with only £100 invested in Premium Bonds.
  • The £1,001 Winner: A holder from Devon took home the top prize in July 2020 with a £1,001 total holding. 1, 2, 3]

Just a £100 holding wins £1m! NS&I reveals latest lucky Premium Bonds winners - IFA Magazine

In their regular monthly update released this morning, NS&I have reminded advisers quite how ERNIE can deliver a life-changing surprise. This month, a

https://ifamagazine.com/just-a-100-holding-wins-1m-nsi-reveals-latest-lucky-premium-bonds-winners/

OP posts:
EightSteps · 28/08/2026 15:50

(A little star-struck, being in the presence of a Big Winner, hoping her good fortune diffuses like sparkly star dust to touch us all..🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟)

Welcome @Bondedforlife !

Lovely to hear about your big win, and how ig has had such a positive impact on your life 😊

Happiestathome · 28/08/2026 16:01

Thank you for sharing @Bondedforlife. We have all hoped for someone on the thread to win big for a long time. It’s great to hear all about it.

LatteLady · 28/08/2026 16:49

Well, this is a really lovely thread today. Congrats to @Bondedforlife and thank you for sharing with us!

The closest I can come to this, is my sister's stepson, who managed a branch of Sainsburys; one of their regular scratch card customers, came back in all of a flutter and he was called out to deal with her as she had also won £1m. When you insert the winning scratch card, it tells you to ring their lottery Head Office... so he bought this shaking woman into his office... she could not speak as she was so shocked, so he had to act as the intermediary. She was a TA, and her husband was near retirement... this meant that they could retire and not worry. Several days later she came back to see him and the girl who sold her the ticket with some money and he had to explain that they could not accept it... I think she then bought a bottle of fizz and insisted that they toast her success... I might add, he drove to my sister and asked for a strong cup of tea, with sugar, as he too, was rather shocked.

So hopefully we might have another winner on here, too... good luck in the draw next week, everyone!

PS, I am so glad you grandad knew he was a winner.

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